Improvement in bee-hives



E. ARMSTRONG- BEE-HNE. No.175,547. Patented April/1, 1876.

illvrrnn STATES PATENT ELVII ARMSTRONG, OF JERSEYVILLE, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,547, dated April 4, v1876; application tiled January 22, 1876.

T0 all whom fit may concern Be it known that I, ELVIN ARMSTRONG, of Jerseyville, in the county of Jersey and State of Illinois,have invented a new and Improved Bee-Hive; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings. and t'o the letters of reference marked thereon.

The device herein described relates to an improvement in bee-hives, and consists in a novel mode of securing in position the sections of the brood-chamber, so that they may be removed and replaced more easily than heretofore, and without any interference with the main entrance to the hive. It further consists, in the adaptation to the side of the hive, of a removable shelf, whereon the sections of the brood-chamber may be conveniently placed and securely held for removal.

In the drawing a rear perspective view of the hive, having the shelf attached, is given, the honey-boxes, rear and side walls being removed. *f

A represents the floor of the hive; B, the inner side of the front wall, to Which are attached two horizontal racks, preferably made of' metal. These racks are provided along their projecting edges with a series ot' semicircular seats, as shown in the drawing, adapted to receive the correspondingly-shaped edges of the sections ot' the brood-chamber, which are inserted therein, and thus held in vertical position, while their lower parts rest upon the iioor of the hive. The semicircular form of seat is adopted in order to allow the sections ot' the brood-chamber to bc swung round in a horizontal plane, as it' hinged upon a vertical axis. The sections are held together at the rear by an ordinary clip-plate, or other suitable device; and are prevented from slipping out of the racks by the proximity ofthe rear Wall of the hive to the bars a c. C represents a removable shelf attached to the side ofthe hive, as shown in the drawing. It may, however, be attached in any other convenient Way. This shelt` is provided with racks eX- actly l-ike those in the interior of the hive, and for a similar purpose. It is designed for use only when the hive is being Worked, to hold the sections of the broodchamber as they are removed from the hive for examination, or other purpose; also, to avoid the handling which would otherwise be unavoidable. The shelf is detached from the hive by a slightlateral movement, as indicated by the arrow r.

By the foregoing details, the removal and replacement of the several parts of broodchamber. may be ei'ected with unusual ease, and little or no inconvenience to the bees, since this arrangementdoes not in any way interfere with the front entrance to the hivean advantage readily appreciated by those experienced in 'the management of bees, and evidently not overlooked by the little Workers themselves.

Vhat I cla-im as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A bee-hive, having the sections ot the brood-chamber held in position by racks b b, provided with semicircular seats, -to which the sections ot' the brood-chamber are adapted to rotate in said racks upon the pivot-legs, substantially as and for the purpose herein described. i

2. The bee-hive described, provided with the removable shelf O, as and for the purpose specified.

This specification signed and witnessed this 17th day of January, 1876.

' ELVIN ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses JAMES A. LocKE, JOHN W. CLARK. 

